Berkshire Community College (BCC) announces Dr. Kierstyn Hunter has joined the college as Vice President for Academic Affairs & Chief Academic Officer. She most recently served as Interim Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at American International College (AIC) in Springfield, Massachusetts, where she previously was Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Accreditation Liaison Officer. She has held academic leadership roles at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont and Cambridge College in Boston.
Hunter has extensive experience in humanitarian and advocacy work on gender, which
she pursued in Tanzania, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Canada, and has developed efforts
that led to system-wide changes for gender equality. With a focus on adult learners
and gender-responsive research, her efforts have centered on topics ranging from artificial
intelligence and big data to teacher professional development. She has also worked
on community development programs and initiatives in Cameroon, including girls’ empowerment
programming and women’s entrepreneurship and micro-lending. On the New Hampshire coast,
she managed educational programming in a women’s homeless shelter for new mothers
as they transitioned to stable housing.
Kierstyn Hunter,
Vice President for Academic Affairs & Chief Academic Officer
Hunter’s career has also included work on assessment and accreditation. She has led or served in key roles in college-wide accreditation, including those with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the New England Commission of Higher Education, and the Middle States Commission of Higher Education, as well as for specialty programs including nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and educator preparation. Currently, she is a board member of the New England Educational Assessment Network.
She earned a bachelor of arts degree in global studies from Long Island University in New York, a master of arts degree in whole systems design from Antioch University in Seattle, Washington, and a PhD in education from Prescott College in Prescott, Arizona. Calling herself “a determined ally and advocate for social justice and inclusive campuses,” Hunter said her education and experience have given her “the specific tools to lead in educational settings where the goal is inclusive, sustainable academic excellence.”
A resident of Lenox, Hunter is an outdoors enthusiast who enjoys a wide range of activities, including hiking, stand-up paddling, cross-country skiing, tennis, and running. She completed a 50K trail run through October Mountain last fall.